


Telling Truth Behind My Own Back

by irond0rkness



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Fluff, Happy Ending, Identity Porn, Identity Reveal, Light Angst, M/M, Marvel Gift Exchange, Mutual Pining, Oblivious Tony Stark, Pining, Protective Steve Rogers, Secret Identity, Self-Hatred, Steve Rogers Is Concerned, Steve Rogers Is a Good Bro, Tony Stark Has Issues, Tony Stark Needs a Hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-20
Updated: 2018-12-20
Packaged: 2019-09-23 10:03:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,592
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17078249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/irond0rkness/pseuds/irond0rkness
Summary: Iron Man is the bodyguard of the Avengers benefactor and mechanic, Tony Stark.Unfortunately, he tends to voice rather unpleasant opinions about his employer, which grates Steve's gears quite a bit.Steve thinks Tony is just great and doesn't deserve the harsh critizism from someone like Iron Man.





	Telling Truth Behind My Own Back

**Author's Note:**

> This work was inspired by the following prompt:
> 
> Steve/Tony | Steve doesn’t understand why Iron Man always criticizes Tony Stark, not just because Tony is Iron Man’s employee, but also because Tony is a fine upstanding man who deserves better than a bodyguard that disrespects him.

With a final blow, Iron Man's helmet was violently shattered and blown away, leaving his face broken and his identity defenseless.

Steve could finally see the man behind the mask, the man that thought that it would be logical to slander his own employer behind his back.

With a gasp, Captain America saw that the man that had voiced such horrible opinions about Tony Stark was nobody else but Tony Stark himself.

The realization barreled Steve right back into where it had all begun.

_________________________________________________

Iron Man wasn't moving.

He was lying still on the streets of New York after sacrificing his life.

Steve's hands were shaking and he was about to remove the faceplate, but something inside him told him not to. He couldn't just tear his mask off and reveal his identity to the world. 

Even if he had just met the man, he respected Iron Man. Maybe not as much as he respected Tony Stark, but Steve was honorable enough to leave the mask on even in death.

He was about to stop Thor from unveiling the hero, but then the thundering roar of the Incredible Hulk shocked them all.

It had shocked the person inside the suit as well, as a small yelp emitted from behind the gleaming yellow faceplate.

He was alive.

The armor-clad man invited all of them to eat shawarma just like nothing had happened, not even sparing a thought to his employer, whom he was supposed to be protecting.

When the soldier pointed it out, the hero just uttered something about the tower and Mr.Stark being safe.

Even if Steve and the genius had started off the wrong foot, he still thought that Iron Man was a tad inconsiderate about Stark.

After that short answer, the conversation continued, making them all forget the engineer and remember the aches the battle provided them with.

____________________________________

When they had been dismissed from SHIELD, the heroes grouped together again.

A discussion about housing was held.

In Steve's opinion, it would be beneficial for the team to live in one building or in a few mile radius to boost teamwork and make it easier to assemble.

At the moment, the problem was about finding a suitable living area for all of them with the lowest cost and highest accessibility.

It was a problem for only a little while as the Avengers' consultant Tony Stark called them to say that he would accept them to his own tower.

It freaked them out at first, but when Iron Man explained that he had contacted Mr.Stark to ask him about the problem.

The fact that the armor-clad hero would just call someone so busy to help with an issue that could be solved at a later time, made no sense to the super soldier.

Tony Stark should be employing and commanding Iron Man, not the other way around.

He was grateful for that, but Stark's hold on his bodyguard seemed awfully lax, which could lead to problems with the team.

As the furnishing for the rooms would take time, the team scattered once more, some to SHIELD housing, others to their private homes.

_______________________________

It took two weeks before the rooms were ready.

Steve had gotten used to seeing the cold gray ceiling of the SHIELD rooms every day when he woke up, the dullness of everything around him crushing his mood.

Seeing a pure white one was new, it was relaxing.

When Steve looked around he no longer saw dull sadness, instead, warm, earthy tones surrounded him.

Not only did the environment make him happy, so did the company.

He liked interacting with the people of the spy agency, but their disillusioned seriousness made it feel like the super soldier didn't belong.

Tony was like a fresh breath of air, his words much softer than the harshness of SHIELD agents.

He could even see his team reawakening in the cozy warmth of the Tower, their smiles becoming more sincere with every passing day, their walls not disappearing, but slowly opening.

Even Iron Man popped in every now and then, his robotic voice reminding Steve of the cold, harsh future he was in and how lucky he was to be able to live in one of the few spots of light it provided, with the people he could work well with.

Every night, Steve fell asleep under his bright white ceiling and didn't dream.

______________________________

"Hey, Iron Man, I have something to ask of you," Steve said, an embarrassed flush rising on his cheeks.

The armor-clad man had suffered some damage to the armor, but the golden faceplate still gleamed in the afternoon sun, making it seem darker and warmer.

"Ask away, Cap, you know I'm happy to help," the man drawled, his previously relaxed posture becoming slightly more rigid, ready for action.

"Um, it's nothing really big, I could just work with it but it would be better to get it fixed," Steve couldn't believe himself. He was babbling like an idiot, completely missing the point he had and lowering the chances of the intimidating hero actually helping him.

"Spit it out, Captain. I like your long speeches as much as anyone, but I think if you carry on like this, you will ask me that thing for another 10 minutes," Iron Man was no longer looking like a soldier ready to take commands and seemed more like a friend, ready to help out another.

Steve took a breath and continued, now with a more confident voice, "I know Mr.Stark is very busy, so is there anyone you know who could fix my combat suit?"

To that, the man inside the armor chuckled, making Steve lose his previous confidence, but it returned when Iron Man spoke: "Just take it to Stark, he doesn't mind. Fixing equipment is just his way of contributing to the team, that's what he does."

It felt weird that Iron Man somehow already knew that someone contributing to a huge company would be ready to fix Captain America's suit. He knew that the armored avenger was just trying to help, but assuming he knew exactly what Mr.Stark would do was quite thoughtless.

Steve wouldn't take the suit to Stark without making sure that the man was absolutely okay with fixing his things.

_________________________

Steve took the suit to Stark.

As he was checking out the damage, he discovered that the fabric had been ripped all along his back, making it both unappealing to wear and a serious weakness in battle.

He was quite nervous, but then he remembered that Stark himself was just a person like himself, not an unreachable deity like Thor.

"The workshop is open, Captain Rogers. I'm sure Sir will be accepting your request."

He walked up to the door and walked in as it opened as soon as he approached.

Stark was meddling with holograms, his back turned to the super soldier, acting like he hadn't even noticed him come in.

Steve cleared his throat.

The genius spun around on his chair, revealing his wild hair and dark circles to the hero.

"How can I help you, Captain?" Mr.Stark asked with a slight smile on his face, the holograms behind him disappearing.

Steve thrust the carefully folded fabric towards him "My suit got damaged in the last battle. It doesn't need to be replaced, just mended a bit and if you are busy you don't have to do it at all."

The slight smile on the inventor's face grew into a wide, slightly mischevious smirk and took the suit into his hands.

"I have been waiting for you to come down here with it for so long, I thought I would have to march into your room and get it myself, otherwise you would probably run into battle with a suit that is burnt and ripped apart," seeing Steve's confused face, he added, "I saw the footage of the battle and Iron Man told me that you had gone to him for help."

"So, you're willing to fix it for me?"

Stark scoffed at that and said: "No, not fix. I have to completely remake and redesign it, because, no offense, this is not looking good at all in general, so if it has mended burn marks on it, it will look more like a burnt marshmallow than an actual superhero suit. It's going to hurt both your ego and your rep."

Suddenly, Steve remembered something.

"Oh, I'm really sorry. I should have asked before, but how much is it going to cost?"

Stark had already turned away from him to start the project on the holograms, but he turned around to reveal his blank, confused face.

"Cap, I work for you, not the other way around. This is the only way I can be useful to any of you. I fix and invent things."

Steve understood that the comment was supposed to be comforting, but he only felt sadness for Stark. 

"You are more than that. You gave us all a home."

Stark's smile turned almost sour, self-deprecating and he spoke: "I gave you all a roof over your heads. I didn't make it a home."

The soft sadness in his eyes suddenly disappeared and an invisible barrier came up between his emotions and Steve. 

The joyful, carefree mask had returned and he said: "Well, since you gave me actual work to do, I better get onto it. Remember my comment about burned marshmallows? Will happen unless I get this done."

A flush rose on Steve's cheeks once more and he babbled: "Oh! I'm really sorry! I will get going right away."

Still trying to be confident, he straightened his back and walked out the door with steps that were just a tad too long for a relaxed stride.

Steve's feet brought him back to his room without him realizing, his thoughts were only about the previous conversation.

How could a serious soldier like him become a mumbling mess just because he had to ask his teammate for a favor?

To quiet his thoughts, he took his sketchbook from a drawer and sat down to draw.

He hadn't had any time to make art after he was defrosted, he didn't seem to have a quiet moment to sit down and just draw.

He didn't fully grasp how he could search for images on the internet yet, so he just drew his teammates from memory.

The first ones didn't look anything like what he envisioned, but as he continued, the figures became more life-like.

________________________________________

The next day a package was waiting for him in front of the door of his room.

The little note on it read "Tony" in neat block letters.

He took it inside and tore the wrapping paper apart, revealing a neatly folded Captain America suit, ready to be worn into battle.

The blue had a much deeper tone and there were no more inconvenient zippers everywhere. The head part was no longer a hood, ready to be torn off at any moment. It had been replaced by a sturdy metal helmet.

He could see Tony's skill, the hours put into it and the kindness of the man who made the elegant bodysuit in his hands.

He knew that Tony didn't ask for anything in return, but Steve still felt like he was in debt for it.

The soldier folded the suit back up and put it in his closet to wait for another battle.

He sat on the couch to absentmindedly doodle, but for some reason, they were all of the generous genius.

_______________________

Steve got the chance to test out the new suit in a few weeks in a doombot battle.

It felt smooth and comfortable, the material supporting him yet bending and stretching enough to perform even the most intricate tricks.

The battle was long and exhausting, costing a building and a couple of human lives.

The whole team seemed crushed and exhausted, even the unyielding happiness of Thor was muted and the usually-straight posture of Iron Man was slumped in defeat.

After the debrief, the team flopped onto the nearest flat surface in the living room and just laid there unmoving.

Steve could still see the rigid, must-be-ready-for-battle stance in the armored avenger, but the harsh edges had been frayed by exhaustion enough for Steve to be comfortable talking about everyday things with him.

"I have been meaning to thank Mr.Stark for the suit he made me, but I haven't been able to contact him for a while, so perhaps you could do it for me?" he asked in a drowsy, tired voice.

Iron Man snapped back into a more rigid pose, but this one wasn't for physical battles. It was for simple conversations.

It hurt the soldier that even after a couple of months Iron Man still wasn't comfortable enough to talk normally within the team, but that was a problem that could be addressed at a later time.

"I can do that for you, but you do know that there's no need to actually thank him for a simple thing like that. He is just doing his job as a consultant. No need to blow his ego bigger than it has to be"

Steve was blown away by the nonchalant harshness of the armor-clad man, the arrogance and thinking he knew what his employer needed or deserved.

The last remnants of his rage ignited inside and he almost growled: "Everyone needs a thank you for their job, especially people like Stark."

Iron Man put his hands up like someone trying to calm down a feral animal and defended: "I completely agree with you on this, but you don't know Stark as I do. He's a lazy businessman who constantly whines over minor things and throws money around like it's nothing," he paused, clenched his fists and continued in a bitter tone, "He may seem good at first, but everyone who has ever delved deeper only finds bullshit underneath."

Steve could feel his usually controlled temper slipping and he found himself storming out of the room, not stopping until he was safely in his own room.

The exhaustion caught up with him and he plopped onto the bed, ready to sleep if not for thoughts swirling inside his head.

He smacked his palms onto his face and let out a strangled screech of frustration.

___________________________________

Steve was at the kitchen, eating his cereal when suddenly Tony walked in, looking as tired as Steve was yesterday after the battle.

The man dragged himself to the coffee machine and just stood there as if waiting for the coffee.

"Aren't you going to turn it on?" asked the soldier.

To that, he was so startled that he let out a yelp and almost jumped.

"Hey, Rogers. Didn't see you there," he muttered and then continued with a louder and more confident, joking tone, "I was just having a staring competition with the coffee machine, I do it all the time."

"Well, you can have that staring competition while the coffee is brewing."

Tony started the coffee machine and leaned on the counter, elbows on the countertop, just watching the coffee drip and slowly fill the pot.

While he was watching, his eyelids started to droop and it wasn't long until the man was leaning with his eyes closed.

"Hey, you look a little tired. When was the last time you slept?"

Tony's eyes snapped open and for a moment, Steve saw the real exhaustion in his eyes before the mask fell down and only guarded confidence was seen.

"It's okay, just a little tired from fixing Iron Man's armor. It got a little banged up yesterday."

His smile was supposed to be it comforting, but it didn't fool Steve and so he said: "I know that Iron Man is important, but maybe it would be better to take a break too. If he's pressuring you to fix his equipment, I can talk to him and maybe he will back down a little."

"I'm the engineer of the team, I'm just doing my job. If Iron Man's things need to be worked on, I will do it as soon as I can. Whether or not I pull an allnighter during it doesn't matter," he countered and then poured the coffee into cups and left the kitchen.

To the soldier, he sounded an awful lot like the armored hero had just yesterday. 

It was clear.

Iron Man had been talking so awfully about Tony Stark that the man had actually started to believe it. 

It hurt to see such a wonderful man be mistreated by someone he thought was his trusted friend and teammate.

Steve was about to stop Tony from leaving, but he decided against it.

If his eyes lingered on Tony's wonderfully shaped behind longer than strictly necessary, nobody had to know.  
___________________________________

Later in the day, Iron Man appeared with his armor newly repaired and polished, the shine of it igniting new anger in Steve's heart.

How dare he waltz around wearing what Tony made for him while shunning the man as soon as his back was turned, maybe even to his face.

The armored hero raised his hand in greeting, but Steve didn't return it.  
He was angry and most of all, disappointed and betrayed.

He could still be Iron Man's friend and teammate, but right now he needed some time to cool down.

He pushed down his anger when he saw Natasha approaching him.  
She would see right through his mask, but Steve wanted to have a good interaction not entirely for her but for himself as well.

He wouldn't want to feel bad about being rude to someone who wasn't connected to his matters at all.

"What's with the barely concealed anger? Is everything okay with you and Tony?" she asked smoothly, her piercing eyes making it unable for him to even think of a lie, much less tell it convincingly.

"Wha-. No," he took a breath and tried again, "How did you know I was mad about Tony?"

She sat onto the other side of the couch and extended her legs until they touched him and continued: "I walked past the kitchen right when he was leaving. There was no way for me to miss your sangry eyes looking back at him. I have to admit, I was too tired to remember the conversation, but something happened between the two of you." 

She almost seemed protective of the mechanic, ready to jump to his defense even without asking.

"Nothing happened between me and Tony, I was just concerned for him. He didn't look too good and when Iron Man arrived today I just felt angry at him. It's probably not even his fault but I felt like I needed to release my anger at him."

"Steve, if this goes on, you will have to deal with it. Or I will," her voice became dangerous for a moment and then, she was normal again.

She rose from the couch and walked away, no promise of any danger in her form. If it had been anyone else, they would have thought that she was in a happy and relaxed mood.

He saw Iron Man a few more times over the day and each time reignited his anger, but he tried to push it down as good as he could.

Iron Man was still a good man, even if his recent actions proved otherwise.

_________________________________________

Steve wasn't so sure about the previous statement anymore.

Over the past weeks, the villain situations had become more serious and stressful for everyone involved.

It would have been manageable, but Iron Man's way of insulting his employer as stress relief wasn't very pleasing to hear.

Sure, he also insulted himself, but much less than he babbled on about the mistakes and wrongdoings of Tony.

Right now, the man was in the middle of another annoying rant of his while trying to locate another villain's hideout.

"If Stark had done his job properly, we would have already caught them, but all he does is laze around and let his brain cells waste away. Not that he has a lot of them left after all that partying he has done in the past. Why would he even need a bodyguard, it's not like he has anything worth guarding," the man ranted, his armored form tense and moments from punching something.

Steve had learned to tune out the man's insults of Tony, but he had never been this vicious.

Everyone from the team had had sleepless nights over the week, as well as Stark, who seemed to get more tired every time Steve saw him slink in the tower, even if his behind was still as beautiful as any other day.

If the soldier had been well rested, he would have only given him a warning, but now he was angry.

Steve stood up straight and stared Iron Man right in the eye-slits, trying to intimidate him to prove his point.

"Shut up! I can't stand your talk about Tony any more! If you hate being his bodyguard so much, why don't you just quit? I'm sure anyone from the Avengers would jump to his aid faster than you could pack your things!"

To that, he was shocked and even took a step back from the soldier but as soon as he had collected himself a bit, the armored hero was back in the confrontation.

"I used to think Tony Stark was great, even a hero, but after I got my eyes opened, there's nothing that would make me like him again! I may still value his life enough to protect it, but there's not much to value about m- him!" his voice started out as soft, even remorseful, but soon, the hatred had returned once more.

Steve's fists tightened and only his will was keeping him from punching Iron Man so hard that his armor would dent and perhaps injure or even reveal his aggravating face, but he took a deep breath and tried to push down the flaming anger not-so-deep under the surface.

"I know you hate him, but please don't rant about it now. As you said, we have villains to catch," his voice was level, yet it was still laced in his sharp, fiery anger.

To his surprise, Iron Man didn't even protest and said: "You're right. I shouldn't be taking my failures out on Mr.Stark. This whole situation is nobody's fault but mine."

"No! This is not your fault!" he shouted, his anger for the man completely gone and then continued with a lower voice, "We can continue later, but can we stop for a bit? Please?"

"Alright. It's not necessary for our job as a superhero, anyway, so I will just stop until it's over," the man spoke and continued on without a single mention of Stark aside from mission-related information.

_____________________________

Steve had been blind to his own feelings for too long.

It had been only 2 months since moving into the Tower, but he already felt like Tony was his new best friend in this new era.

Sure, he had other friends too, but Tony's bright spark and warmth attracted the soldier like a moth to a flame.

He could have been happy with just being friends, but then his feelings had to ruin everything.

At first, it seemed logical to brush it off and suppress it, but as time went on and the feelings grew, he knew that he could no longer hide.

It could potentially cost him his friendship, but Steve would rather know than stay in silence and suffer while enjoying the friendliness of Tony.

So Steve Rogers was standing impatiently at the mechanic's door, flowers in hand.

He had previously asked Tony to come and hang out with him but hadn't said that it was going to be a date because he wanted it to be a surprise.

(Lies)

(It was mostly because Steve had chickened out)

He ran his hand through his hair once more, shifted the suit jacket and when he heard steps approaching the door, he stood up straighter and got ready to face the music.

The door opened and revealed a Tony Stark who was wearing just as formal or even more formal clothes than Steve.  
In his hands was a beautiful flower bouquet quite a bit more extravagant than the soldier's.

"And here I was, worried that you didn't want to make it romantic. I guess we are now wearing super fancy clothes to a date in a diner?" he tried to joke, but his cheeks had the slightest bit of a blush showing.

All the grime from working in the workshop had been washed away and his beard had been trimmed to perfection, the geometric shapes and angles perfect enough to be measured with a ruler and a protractor.

To be honest, Steve loved the hardworking mechanic as much as the groomed, social billionaire, maybe even more.

He could feel his cheeks heating up into a more obvious mirror to Tony's blush and he tried to joke as well: "I guess we have to switch bouquets now?"

The giggle he got from the man seemed to indicate that his joke had succeeded in lightening the mood and making the situation less awkward.

They hadn't even gone out yet and Steve was already looking at Tony and just feeling enormous love blooming inside of him and he thought: "I love him."

______________________

Steve laid in bed, having not bothered to take off his suit just yet.

The date went well.

They were overdressed in the tiny diner that Steve had found, but the fancy suits hadn't diminished their ability to enjoy the homey dishes and the warm setting of it.

He enjoyed looking at the man every time he laughed and his face scrunched up adorably.

Tony was amazing and had made the whole evening wonderful.

Iron Man had been wrong.

There was only good underneath the iron masks of Tony Stark.

____________  
Steve was happy.

Not even Iron Man's harsh comments about Tony could kill his good mood.

Sure, they still bothered him, but his friendship with him was still there and was getting better because it seemed that even Iron Man was in a happy mood.

After Iron Man left, Tony would resurface, bringing warmth and happiness and putting a smile on Steve's face whenever the man arrived.

Together, the sharp edges of both Captain America and the billionaire playboy Tony Stark were dulled into something friendlier and softer, melding together seamlessly.

Together, they could just be Tony and Steve, just another couple experiencing their love and relationship in the world.

They weren't going too fast, more like a slow, smoldering fire that gave both of them warmth to stave off the cold of the world.

Steve loved to hold Tony in his arms and just be together and do something mundane.

_______________________

They had thought that the villains had been defeated for now.

They had been wrong.

A group of magicians was wreaking havoc and getting ready to tear a hole in the soft spot of the universe.

To ensure that their plan would work, blasts of magic were blasting away or killing anyone who got close.

When the Avengers had arrived, a small crack was already running through spacetime itself.  
It was an eerie sight, to see something thought to be constant and unbreakable being broken like a mirror.

Upon seeing the Avengers, they at first attacked the jet, which only managed to withstand a couple of blasts before being damaged enough to halt its flight in the air and plummet to the ground, leaving the heroes to fall into their doom.

Luckily, Thor and Iron Man saved them from going down with the ship and managed to get them to the ground safely before flying up again to stop the mages from attacking the easier target.

While the majority of them were distracted, the now grounded heroes attacked.

The weak bubble around the site was quickly breached using an explosive arrow, granting them access to stop the magic-users.

While the others were attacking the distracted foes, Thor and Iron Man were dodging their attacks as good as they could and at the few times they were hit with the offending blasts, they rose once again.

Luckily, their strikes were no longer as powerful as the time they blasted down their ship - they were both tired from the initial blasts that almost cost the lives of the heroes and their energies divided between two targets, not one.

It seemed like everything was going great, but then one of the mages made iridescent ropes of pure energy appear out of nowhere.

Those strings then attached themselves to the Iron Man armor, not unlike a pair of hands trying to pull their victim towards the attacker.

Steve threw his shield at the one that had done it, but it was already too late.

Iron Man was both too close to fly to safety and still tangled in the intricate mess of magical strings entwined around his form.

For a moment, the magicians that weren't working on defending the ever-growing crack in spacetime from the grounded heroes abandoned their attack on the thunder god and concentrated all their might towards the armored hero.

Unsurprisingly, Iron Man dropped from the sky like a rock.

Steve didn't know if he screamed, but he tried to run towards his teammate but was stopped by a string of magic that had winded itself around his calf, making him fall.

He ripped his leg out from the bonds and continued on, but before he could reach Iron Man, a mighty blow cracked open the faceplate and the metal pieces gave away, revealing the face and identity of the hero.

Steve heard a gasp, maybe his own, he no longer knew it.

The infuriating man piloting the suit was none other than his beloved boyfriend Tony Stark.

Tony's deep brown eyes stared out of the harsh metal cocoon he had enclosed himself in.

At first, there was terror in them, and the next moment, it was shame.

Steve didn't think about it further, he just wanted him to be safe, be it Tony or Iron Man.

In the confusion that was going on, the remaining Avengers managed to neutralize the mages and stopped them from breaking open reality.

The crack started to slowly close and soon there was no visible sign of magic left in the area.

The only indicator of conflict was a burning quinjet some distance away from the center.

For Steve, there was only Tony. Tony, who was Iron Man. Tony, who had saved his life countless times and had given him a home, new gear, and most importantly, company.

"Uh, Steve. I know you have questions. I know you probably hate me for keeping it a secret. I know that nothing will change what I did, but I'm sorry. I'm sorry for all of it," he spoke, utter hopelessness and dismay in his voice.

Steve didn't think.

And so, for the first time in this relationship, he pressed his lips onto Tony's.

It wasn't overly romantic, but it was full of emotion and reassurance.

As abruptly as it started, it ended, leaving both of them starstruck and looking at each other with nothing but love in their gazes.

____________________________

"Tony," he started, as if talking to a wild animal.

Before he could say anything else, the soldier was interrupted by a soft voice: "I'm sorry. I know I shouldn't have kept that thing a secret from you and I understand if you wish to end our relationship."

"No, Tony. I just wanted to ask why you always ranted so angrily about yourself."

"You really see the best in everyone. I'm not a good person and talking shit about myself in the disguise of Iron Man was how I expressed my hatred. It wasn't healthy nor was it pleasing to listen to, but I wanted a way to speak what I already thought about myself. Being with you helped me, but I was always afraid that one day you will see that I'm not good," Tony spoke, his hatred-laced voice cutting through the air like a knife.

"You won't believe me, but you are a hero. I know that there is no magic cure to help you and that even if you stop talking, you won't stop thinking that way. But I hope that you will someday realize that I will not leave you. I love you and I see how great of a person you are, even if you try to hide it."

There were unshed tears in the other's eyes after Steve had finished his speech and he whispered: "I love you too," then he wiped away his tears and asked, "Can I kiss you?"

A goofy smile stretched on his face and his eyes glittered: "Yes!"

He has stopped waiting, his big secret is out and there's only the simplest thing to do at the moment.

He pressed his lips onto Steve's, letting the passion overtake his motions.

This time, it was all about the feeling and need, the need to be close and just kiss.

By the time they broke the kiss, they had already forgotten what it felt like to be apart, to not be in the other's embrace while they kissed.

They knew that nothing could withstand them while they are still together.


End file.
